Category Archives: Boat Sheds

A Day at Lowell’s Boat Shop

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A Day at Lowell’s Boat Shop

A friend of mine & ace photographer – John Burland snapped the photos below last week at the Lowell Boat Shop in Amesbury, Massachusetts, USA.

The shop was established in 1793 & Lowell’s is the oldest continuously operating boat shop in America and is cited as the birthplace of the legendary fishing dory. Located on the North bank of the Merrimack River, Lowell’s Boat Shop is now a non profit working museum dedicated to building classic wooden dories and skiffs.

They use a lot of yellow & green paint on their boats, its not that they bought a container load – yellow and green are traditional colours with the highest contrast for visibility in fog.

For more info – link the link below
http://www.lowellsboatshop.com/pages/lbshistory.html

click photos to enlarge 😉

Lake Taupo c.1950’s

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Lake Taupo c.1950’s.

photo ex Paul Drake

This photo appeared on a postcard & shows two boats that have recently featured on ww – Lady Pat & Moana.

Also in the picture, on moorings, in line astern are  – Kotare (steel), Arcadia and Kahurangi.

Arcadia is still on Lake Taupo – with new cabin. Kahurangi was last seen at Mana, Paremata, also with new cabin. KOTARE is still at Lake Taupo.

The vessel poking out of the boat shed is Water Nymph now restored and at Lake Rotioti.

Chris McMullen Herreshoff Steam Launch – Part 2 (the engine)

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The building of a replica 1898 Nathanael Herreshoff triple expansion steam engine – as told by Chris McMullen.

CMcM SteamLaunch AH6

The Herreshoff engine is a triple expansion type with cylinders 3-1/2” x 5”x 8” with a 4-1/2” stroke. It is a smaller version of that depicted in the L Francis Herreshoff book ‘The Wizard Of Bristol’ page 228.

The engine is very different to what the textbooks on the subject show. Everything designed by Nathanael Herreshoff seems to be that way. He certainly never copied traditional thinking but worked it out for him self.

Those interested may notice the two crankshafts gear driven one to one. The right hand one drives the piston valves. Going astern is effected by sliding bush or sleeve within the driven gear activated by a lever, this rotates the valve C/S to a new position. The bush, gear and shaft required machining male and female three start threads, left and right hand 8” pitch!  Not easy. The threads have / had to be cut on a planer using a dividing head coupled to the motion. Modern cars use a camshaft driven by a timing belt, similar to Herreshoff but remember this engine was designed in 1898!  The engine is very short to allow the crankshaft to be supported by two bearings and also to prevent loss of heat as the exhaust steam travels from one cylinder to the next, thus trying to reduce pressure loss.

If you look at the image of the crankshaft casting (below) you will notice the overhung balance weights. Notice the lack of material in the web between the second and third journal. The crank can’t be ground and there is no easy way to machine the metal designed to be eliminated by casting.  Casting this crank was a mission in SG iron. To cast it in steel (with 1/4” to the foot possible contraction) is going to be more difficult to achieve the correct length.

H.M.C.O had an outside foundry cast their steel but I notice in reading a recent article on Herreshoff Anchors they did have problems with their steel castings.

The base of the engine is a bronze casting to hold oil. The engine max revs are about 700 so the engine will have to be enclosed or throw oil everywhere.

There are good drawings available for this engine but no tolerances are given. I guess the fitters knew what was required. The original drawings were coloured to show the different materials, as was normal drafting practice.  The prints I got were black and white and difficult to read. No layers as in CAD drawing.

The Boiler is a three-drum type with curved tubes. It is similar to a Yarrow Type boiler. All the circulation is achieved in the tubes, the outer tubes being cooler than the inner. Once the circulation starts it continues. This was proven by Yarrows experiment in the early 1900’s. So Herreshoff and Yarrow, an ocean apart, came to similar conclusions. The upper drum of the boiler is 8“ OD, the lower drums 4-1/2” all with 5/16” wall. The 1/2“ tubes are expanded. Not easy to do up a tube just over 4” ID.

The boiler was built under survey. The working pressure is 250 PSI.

There are no pumps on the engine. The boiler is fed and the cooled exhaust condensate is removed for reuse by an independent steam driven combined feed and air pump. These pumps were the only item on the launch not made in house by H.M.C.O.  There were no drawings of these Marsh Pumps made by The American Steam Pump Co., Battle Creek Mitch. I copied mine from ‘Vapo’, an incredibly clever but simple pump with two moving parts but very difficult to manufacture.

I should add there has been no fabrication. Everything has been cast in iron or bronze.

Again this interesting project has been done for no other reason than for my own personal satisfaction.  I guess Prof. Evers Burtner’s comments (see copy of magazine article below), I quote “It is too bad that this engine is so complicated that amateurs would not be tempted to build one of their own”, was red rag to a bull.

To view part one i.e. the boat click here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/07/07/chris-mcmullens-herreshoff-steam-launch/

Click Any Image / Photo Below To Enlarge

LFH 1970’s Letter1
LFH 1970’s Letter2

 

Evers Burnter article1
Evers Burnter article2

 

Simpson Strickland Steam Launch
Herreshoff Steam Launch
Orginial Herreshoff engine
Orginial Herreshoff boiler
McMullen Engine cylinder & moulding 1987
McMullen replica
Crankshaft casing
McMullen replica
Vapor as found by Chris M

 

Chris McMullen’s Herreshoff Steam Launch – Part 1

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Chris McMullen’s  Herreshoff Steam Launch

I visited a rather special boat shed the other day, shed is a bit of an understatement – I have a shed, Chris McMullen’s one is more like an aircraft hanger.
The reason for the invite was to have a look at the 1933 Colin Wild built launch Wirihana out of the water, but what really made me accept the invite in a flash was the chance to view the 34′ Herreshoff steam launch that Chris has been creating for nearly 30 years.
I use the term creating because every piece of this boat (including the steam engine) has been crafted by Chris’s own hands. Its a little way off launch day but already its a piece of art.

Why would someone undertake a project of this magnitude ? Chris’s view is “the whole project is an engineering exercise and an interesting challenge to recreate what was done 100 plus years ago.  Further, traveling on a fast steam launch is a great experience and there is something about generating your own power from fire and water”.

Click any of the above photos to enlarge 😉

I’ll let Chris tell the story – read on

“I have been building this (lets say) machinery and boat on and off for would you believe 27 years!  I started the project in 1987 –88 the year I sold McMullen & Wing Ltd.  Unlike some of my steam friends in the USA and the UK who are single minded,this has not been my only interest, during the time I have owned or had the use of other boats and done many other things.
The long winded project, is an embarrassment for me being a professional boat builder. It must be explained that I am not a trained Engineers Pattern Maker,  Foundry Moulder, Fitter and Turner, Coppersmith or a Boilermaker. I have had to learn these skills. Believe me, the Herreshoff’s draftsmen certainly did not compromised his design to make it easy for manufacture.  The castings for the engine are complex and thin walled. Several foundry’s kindly allowed me to do my own sand moulding on their premises. It would never have been possible without their cooperation.  I have had four attempts at casting the crankshaft. The only good casting (currently installed in the Engine) is of material not up to spec.  This has been a major blow and I guess my knowing this has set back the job.
The 3 throw crank has been drawn in “Solid Works” with the idea of machining it from a solid 9 inch diameter bar of steel on a NC lathe and Mill. A huge job and still can not be completely finished on these remarkable machines. At this stage there is no way to change the design. Crazy, the original was cast and machined in steel over one hundred years ago!
I went on and built the 34’ x 6’ 3” x’ 1’10”hull exactly the Herreshoff way (with a mould for every White Oak steamed frame) The hull double planked carvel style and glued with epoxy rather than set in shellac (as was the original) The planking was two skins of 5/16 NZ Kauri. So thin it could not be edge set. On the bilge the planks were made from thicker stock as they had to be backed out (hollowed and rounded) Very easy to loose control of thickness doing this and I believe Herreshoff Manufacturing (some how) steamed the round into the planks. I have a steam box, experimented but could not make it form the planks. I could have built the same boat double diagonal in a fraction of the time but the design scantlings would have had to be changed. At the time I wanted an exact replica! To what end? Now, I am not sure. (See below Vapor)
Anyway, the hull is basically finished with the boiler engine and water tank installed ready for the plumbing.
For those interested the design is HMCO design # 263 it was built 1908 as the Starboard launch for the Beautiful Twin Screw Steam Yacht “Cassandra”  Cassandra was built for an American owner by Scott’s at Greenock. Scotland in 1908 .She was 238 f.t O.A.L and could travel at just over 15 knots. Her tender was designed and built in the USA would have been “State of the Art” at the time and most likely the fastest launch available.  It would seem to me there were excellent Steam Launch builders in the UK. Simpson Strickland and Liquid Fuel Engineering (Lifu) and others but the owner chose the Herreshoff design / build. I have a copy of a letter written by Francis Herreshoff (the designers son) stating these launches could do 14 knots. To many, that seems unlikely but I have been on two Steam launches on Lake Windermere that can do  13 knots, so lets say we do not know.  These launches are proportioned closer to a rowing eight than a normal hull. On design #263 The boiler pressure is 250 PSI  The propeller is four bladed 22 x 30 inch pitch. the Hull and machinery is light. The shaft is low angle and the weights well forward.  The speed and shape of “Vapor” a similar steam launch has been discussed at length on Wooden Boat Forum  I have never got involved in the discussion but I am very familiar with “Vapor” and know the owner. Ed Louchard a boat builder from Port Townsend has done a wonderful job of building a replacement hull.  Vapor is the only surviving Herreshoff Steam Launch. The hull had been re planked at some time but the machinery is all original. Regarding “Vapor”, when I started my project I thought there were no Herreshoff Steam Launches in existence. I tracked down” Vapor” and her friendly owner in California about 12 years ago. Now she has been rebuilt it sort of makes my replica surplus.  In some ways procrastination has helped as more information about these remarkable launches comes to light from all over the world. I have enjoyed the research but now I am looking forward to finishing my project but it does get harder as one gets older”

Part 2 – The building of a replica 1898 Nathanael Herreshoff triple expansion steam engine –  https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/07/11/chris-mcmullen-herreshoff-steam-launch-part-2-the-engine/

Update on Vapor on the WoodenBoat Forum 24/07/2014

Vapor photos & kind words about Chris McMullen

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?179519-Herreshoff-Steam-Launch-In-Auckland-New-Zealand&p=4235461#post4235461

And more Vapor – 25/07/2014

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?179519-Herreshoff-Steam-Launch-In-Auckland-New-Zealand&p=4236325#post4236325

Winter Haul Out

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July 1930

photo ex Nathan Herbert ex NZ Herald

Winter Haul Out

How many of these boats can we ID? Location ? Vos yard? If it helps the date on the photo is July 1930.

Make sure you view the comments section – lots of discussion on this post.

Photo below ex Harold Kidd ex New Zealand Herald – 12 October 1934 – MR. H. D. GUTHRIE’S 45-FOOT CRUISER ALCESTIS

The Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard

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An insight into the Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard

WTB – creek side
WTB – beachside
Laughing Lady

There has been a lot of great photos posted this week from last Sundays regatta & reviewing them I wondered how many of the ww readers knew the background to Pam & George & the yard. So I asked Pam to tell us a little about themselves & the yard.  So read Pam’s reply below. Alan H

“First I have to say thank you to everyone for the wonderful support we had on Sunday welcoming the Dreyer family, the new owners of MV Laughing Lady, our newest arrival at the yard. We attribute this support to a mix of Alan’s awesome website and Jane High’s enthusiasm for bringing everyone together. Special big thanks also to all those that brought boats along, to all the sailors, to the helpers who lent a hand with the rigging and the young pirate that made it such a fun time.
Way back
When George was a little boy he would build small Woollacott type model boats in the back shed. Then under his older brother Jim’s watchful eye he built a Cherub design and then a Zepher. He didn’t sail them on the tranquil Tamaki River but preferred to race them with other keen sailors out and about with the Kawau Yacht Club. Then he built thirty and forty foot trimarans and sailed away to the Solomon Islands… and beyond.
When I was a youngster Mum and Dad would bundle up my two older brothers and oldest sister (youngest sister was still just a twinkle) along with our short legged, black and white dog, Boy, and we would – with great excitement and anticipation, be taken night-time fishing. Under the cloak of darkness and the drone of the seagull outboard, we would motor the short distance from our bay in Chelsea, into the reflection of the city’s lights and towards the Auckland Harbour bridge.
Dad would anchor our little Mullety, Terina, between two of the huge concrete columns, under the far side of the harbour bridge. Under the light from the Tilly lamp hung in the rigging, the big kids were allowed to sit on the front deck, we would take up our make shift wooden fishing poles with string line and a small piece of torn white rag, sometimes with a ball of dough attached and dangle it into the water until one of the frenzied yellow tail below took a hold.
Then the four fishing poles would be flung simultaneously into the air. Boy dog barking, four kids squealing in delight, flashings of silver and yellow, fish catapulted through the air. Some would fall on the decks, some flung too far – falling back into the water on the other side of the boat.
There was much scrambling to untangle lines and re-launch them once again. All under the long dark shadows and echoes of the large concrete structure of the harbour bridge above. Slimy and stinky and into the bucket they went, where they could be retrieved later. Some fish were lucky and flipped back into the sea. This went on ’til we had exhausted ourselves, and Mum and Dad, or we splashed the vulnerable Tilly lamp breaking the lens. Plunged into semi-darkness we would have to go home.
I don’t remember walking up the track from the beach to home. I think Dad had probably carried me since I was the youngest at that time.
The here & now
As time ticks by, George and I are fast approaching ten years at the Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard. We have been quietly and diligently taking our turn at caring for the yard and maintaining it to its original state.  

           
Many of the photos featured by Alan are familiar to some already, but for the “newbies”, George and I, just the two of us, restore small wooden craft, up to thirty plus feet. Well that is between maintaining the slipway for the local fishing fleet and other recreational boats. I also take on paid boat building work. The money made from this is quickly dissolved back into the boat yard and the project boats we maintain and restore on site.
Many folk driving past the boatyard on the nearby road, see the wooden spars in the creek, they appear at our door in pure delight at what they have found. It is a “living maritime museum” some say or it takes them back to the smells of their grandfather’s sheds. The smells of linseed, oil based paints and freshly cut timber, linger in the old building.
For a long time I felt a need to protect the little yard, as most know it was at threat of being demolished. However the yard, boathouse, workshop and the wooden craft that have refuge here, have found their own way out there and all who stumble upon it endears the yard.
George’s wonderful fleet of restored planked Z’dys is indeed special and the other restored wooden craft are a hit with ever-popular Regattas. Many thanks go to Bud Nalder for donating a sewing machine and the materials and time for schooling and personally making sails for the small craft we have restored.
Russell Ward, the skipper of the steamboat SV Romany still has a berth here for Romany and sometimes the boat yard is graced by steam.
Visitors are welcome to the yard. We do ask that you mind your footing as you move about both in the shed and surrounds, as this is still a functioning, traditional boat yard.
I’m sorry there are not a lot of Laughing Lady photos but its a tight fit in the shed 🙂 but as work progresses I’ll send more to Alan.
Keep checking in here at waitematawoodys as we will be posting more news from the around the yard soon.”
 
 
 

Whangateau Traditional Boat Regatta & Yard Open Day – Part 2

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Whangateau Traditional Boat Regatta & Yard Open Day – Part 2

Scroll down to previous post to view Part 1 (42 photos)

********* yesterday was an all time record for ww – the site was viewed 4,509 times *********

click photos to enlarge

Whangateau Traditional Boat Regatta & Yard Open Day – Part 1

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Whangateau Traditional Boat Regatta & Yard Open Day

The Whangateau crew of Pam & George once again threw their yard open to lovers of classic wooden boats on Sunday (May 4th 2014). The regatta also served as a welcome to ‘Laughing Lady’ the new motorboat arrival from the USA that will be receiving some WTB love.
The autumn day was perfect – sun,wind & great boats. The food & people were pretty good as well 🙂
The regatta follows a well rehearsed format – boats out on the beach, sailors & crew arrive, boats rigged, wait for the tide (&wind), race begins/ends, lunch, prize giving. Now if that sounds like any old regatta – I can assure you Whangateau is not that. The fun & ‘games’ as people secure a boat, select sails & rudders etc & rig up is hilarious & the old salts on hand prove invaluable, in fact it wouldn’t happen with out them. No problem if something does not fit, its into the workshop & onto to the saw bench for some adjustments. Thanks to Jason Prew & Nathan Herbert for the ride aboard Otira, the 1902 Logan motorboat.
Your own Steve Horsley won the race (again) , chased / followed very closely by launch owner Shane Anderson, who had to draw on his past yachting days to keep Steve honest & win a waitematawoodys t-shirt.

A lot of the crew got into the spirit of the day & dressed as pirates.

I’m not going to attempt to caption all the photos, there are just too many – I post today a selection to give you a gander of what makes the people & the place so special.
Tomorrow I’ll post another selection – there is just too many for one day 😉

click photos to enlarge

The shed
Steve scoping the boats
Steve H rigging up
The Rudder Library
The Skippers
The winners- Steve H & Jane
2nd place – Shane A & crew
Pirates
The Best Pirate
Hugh Gladwell the auctioneer with George spotting bids

Click the blue link below to read Jane High’s post regatta newsletter

Whangateau Article 2014

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laughing lady regatta

Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard Open Day / Regatta

If you are out & about this Sunday & looking for a nice drive, the Whangateau Traditional Boat yard is throwing the doors open for people to view the newest arrival – Laughing Lady to the boat yard and New Zealand. The American and NZ flags will be flying & the theme for the day is red, white & blue or even just something nautical e.g. a boat hat.
And as is always the way – a selection of small craft will be out for inspection & visitors are welcome (encouraged) to bring their own craft.

For the newbies that have not been to one of the regattas before , its a very casual day where you make your own fun and are responsible for yourself i.e. if you are boating, bring and wear your own life jacket.

Bring a picnic lunch or have one of our sausages or bring your own sausages for the BBQ.

There will be a donation box for the sausages and the days events and for up-keep on the small craft on offer.

A course will be set to sail, motor or paddle around, out from the bay.This is open for all to join in

The boat yard is open to view Laughing Lady till 4.00pm

Please mind your footing around the yard, this is a traditional working boat yard.!

How do you get there?

Drive past Matakana aprox 9.1 km to 397 Leigh Road, Tramcar Bay & look for the one way bridge, park on the other side of the bridge please.

Launching of boats can be done from the reserve access by the boat yard, but be early to do this.

High tide is at 11.00 am – so 9.30 for setting up the boats – then as soon as the tide allows, hit the water & we shall signal you back for the start of the race 10.30-11.30 start of race.
Confused ? it will be all clear on the day 🙂

 

 

Laughing Lady

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LAUGHING LADY

A ‘new’ lady from the USA joins the NZ classic fleet. But first stop is the Whangateau Traditional Boat yard. Click any image to enlarge.

USA owner – David Gardiner
As ‘found’
Being packed up in USA
Safely in NZ
The end of the road trip North from Post Tauranga
Into the shed at Whangateau

Luders built the motorboat Laughing Lady in Connecticut in 1949 as a day fishing boat for a wealthy American socialite. A few years later she sold it to David Gardiner, who considered himself the 16th Lord of Gardiners Island. The island has an interesting history. As Americas largest private island, It had been in the family ever since his ancestor, the English settler Lion Gardiner, bought it from the Montaukett Indians in 1639 for ”one large dog, one gun, some powder and shot, some rum and several blankets”. He also obtained a charter for the island from King Charles I of England. Captain Kidd once buried treasure there, and the family withstood several attacks by pirates. Gardiner used the Laughing Lady to commute from the Island to New York where he worked as a stockbroker and also across to the up market Hamptons to ferry his guests to the Island, including Jacqui Kennedy-Onassis. Before David Gardiner passed away in 2004 the boat was sold and transported to a yard in San Diego where it underwent significant restoration of the hull before the restoration eventually stalled.

Enter Kiwis, Michael & Katy his sister-in-law who have both worked in the yachting industry and found a love for old boats working as crew on the historic 142 foot Dutch built Feadship Istros and also crewing aboard Fife yachts in various classic yacht regattas around the Mediterranean. They were looking for a small-scale project of their own and found the Laughing Lady languishing in a yacht yard in San Diego last year. They made an offer and the boat was theirs. The boat was then loaded onto a cargo ship in Los Angeles and shipped to Tauranga in March 2014, then towed on a large trailer up to Whangateau in early April (refer photos above). After being shoehorned into the main shed at Whangateau Traditional Boat yard, work will now commence returning the lady back to her former glory.

Luders stopped making boats in the 1980’s but had a fine pedigree in boat building, pioneering hot molded construction and the use of plywood during WWII.  The yard built and designed, fast commuter yachts, Navy patrol boats, tugs, launches and racing yachts including the 1962 America’s Cup winner Weatherly.

Laughing Lady is 32 foot long and was originally powered by Packard straight 8’s, nowadays is powered by twin Volvo turbo diesels.

Built of double planked cedar and mahogany with oak framing and a unique hot molded cabin trunk, she still has the basin that was used for shaving on the way to work and cast bronze fish fighting chairs. The boat will be kept as original as possible, but they will add some modern navigational equipment and something to cook on for overnight trips. Aside from that there is a lot of wiring, wood working, plumbing, paint and varnish to be done before she is completed and back on the water and turning heads as a fishing boat on her new home – the Hauraki Gulf.

Waitematawoodys will follow the work her owners will be undertaking with the assistance of Pam & George at the Whangateau Traditional Boat yard.

This might be easier to read